


you're a good man, mr byrde

by lydiadeetz13



Category: Ozark (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Drug Use, F/M, Masturbation, Road Trip, Romance, Smut Eventually, alcohol use, family trauma, in progress, older man younger woman (but not suuuper far apart in age), tags still to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:00:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29288715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lydiadeetz13/pseuds/lydiadeetz13
Summary: Ruth's friend is moving back to Osage after the fallout from a bad relationship down south. Marty is obliged to help Ellis get back on her feet, even if he doesn't fully understand why.
Relationships: Marty Byrde/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. welcome to texas

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for a long time, including when I was in the Ozarks this summer after a road trip. I can't tell you when it'll be finished, as I'm going through some life changes and and it's hard to write fresh stuff with no new content. I have four parts written now and a lot of extra scenes for future parts. Sorry I can't guarantee anything, but you know how inspiration goes. I hope you enjoy (and we can commiserate over how hot Jason Bateman is together).

"I can't fuckin believe this is fuckin happening. You better shut the fuck up, because I am not hearing you talk for eight hours, Marty." This was Ruth's punishment, she thinks to herself. The bird shit on Frank Junior's car was not worth a weekend driving to Texas with her depressed boss. He wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine most days, but lately he's been snippy and tenser than usual. When she mentioned driving to pick up her friend Ellis from her ex's place in Texas last week, Marty had been quick to offer up his new ride for the drive. Her truck was in the shop getting new tires, so she accepted. She didn't know until this morning that he was coming with. He had shaken his head at her and said simply, "It's my car, Ruth. Don't be difficult." She rolled her eyes and accepted the keys from him, driving them away from her trailer with a little more gas than was necessary. He'd been silent since then. Ruth adjusts the rear view mirror and checks the clock: 6:07 AM. Glancing over at Marty, she sees him, eyes closed, hands clasped tightly in his lap and she sighs heavily. "Take a nap or something, Marty. You look like you need your fuckin beauty rest." 

Marty sleeps for five of the eight hours to Texas. When he awakens, it's to his phone vibrating in his pocket. He yawns, rubbing at his eyes before he checks the text. It's from Charlotte. "drive safe. love you dad :)". He smiles for half a second, nods at Ruth when she asks if he's finally awake, and gazes out the window. At least someone missed him. 

Marty was the one who finished the drive to Ellis' ex's house. He had raised an eyebrow when Ruth directed him to the gated community full of mansions on the northside of Dallas, and now he's even more in awe as he parks in the middle of a long curving driveway. The house is huge, and mostly glass. Basically a square, but massive and silver. Marty has to avert his eyes and put his old Ray Bans back on his face to avoid the glare from the shiny home. It looks incredibly modern and sleek, in contrast to the woman sitting on the large staircase up to the front door. She's in jean shorts, cut a little too short to be modest, and a faded Pink Floyd shirt that had seen better days. There are two large pieces of upscale luggage next to her that don't look like they belong to her. Ruth is out of the vehicle before Marty has it in park, running to the woman. "Ruthie!" This tall woman with a dark yellow, mottled black eye and dark red hair must be Ellis.

Ellis was beautiful, definitely. Nothing like Wendy, Marty thinks to himself before feeling a pang of shame. No, Wendy was beautiful too, just in a different way. Ellis has a bright smile and dark grey eyes (one of them marred with a black eye from her ex, he assumes). Her long, dark red hair is pulled back in two braids on either side of her head, and he observes her playing with the ends of the right braid often. He nods politely at her and waits until she's back embracing Ruth to take the rest of her in. She's tall, his height easily. Her body looks tanned and soft and he immediately wants to feel the curve of her behind under his palm. Whereas Wendy was slim and severe, Ellis was warm and curvy except for her stomach (Ruth had mentioned that she loved running and ran track in high school before her grandma had gotten sick and needed more help). After her long embrace with Ruth, she turns to Marty and nods, her eyes shining in the afternoon sun. "I'm Ellis. Thanks for the use of your SUV. I'll make it up to you. There's a hotel a few miles away, I can pay for a few rooms. You okay if Ruth and I catch up?" Marty nods, throwing the keys to Ruth. "You can drive. I'll be okay staying at the hotel," Marty says to the two women. Ruth catches the keys and grins widely at her friend, grabbing one of her bags and carrying them to the tailgate. "Should call work anyway, check in." Ruth locks eyes with Marty and says, "Sure, boss." They both know he won't be calling the casino. He had packed whiskey and he planned on getting drunk in his hotel room alone. Ellis is in front of him now and she touches his forearm for a brief second before saying quietly, "Thank you." Marty takes her other bag from her and loads it in the back, getting in the backseat as Ruth starts the SUV.

Ruth and Ellis spend dinner at the hotel bar, getting drunk and disorderly before heading to their shared room around midnight. While Ruth throws herself onto the queen size bed, Ellis gulps down water and asks Ruth, "Why is he here instead of his wife? If it's his casino, shouldn't she have chaperoned you?" Ruth covers her unruly curls with a pillow and groans, "They may be married but they ain't for real anymore. Fuck, she probly woulda let me take it without a fuckin' chaprone. They can't stand each other but they got kids. You coming to bed Ellie May?" Ellis tosses a tissue box at her friend from the bathroom doorway and says sharply, "Don't call me that, Langmore. That was Estelle's name for me. Go to bed." Afraid she offended her only friend, Ruth pulls the pillow off of her face and asks quietly, "Yeah? I'm sorry Ellis." Ellis breaks into a drunken grin and says through giggles, "I'm fucking with you, Ruthie. Go to bed." Ruth flips her friend off and is asleep within two minutes. Ellis showers and sobers up with some coffee. 

Marty finds Ellis sitting in a cheap plastic chair outside the motel pool a little after midnight. He had woken from a vivid nightmare covered in sweat and decided to clear his head and cool off under the almost full moon. His hangover was fierce, but expected after half a bottle of Johnnie Walker. She hears his door open and shut, so she's waiting in her own chair with what definitely looks and smells like a joint in her hand. He nods at her and sits in the nearest chair, close to a foot away from her. Neither of them say anything for a minute, then Ellis clears her throat and asks quietly, "Can't sleep?"


	2. the hotel pool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's nothing like the glamour and vibe of a neon soaked hotel pool in the hot weather.

"I haven't smoked pot in…awhile." Ellis ceases tapping her foot on the concrete of the hotel pool area and looks at Marty sitting in the white plastic chair next to her. He's holding what remains of her joint and he looks relaxed for the first time she's seen. He gives her the last few hits of the joint and she accepts it, starting to smoke. "Yeah? Glad I could help. You're much more handsome when your face is relaxed." Marty smiles a little and notices Ellis is fidgety again, tapping her foot. He sighs before standing up from his chair and scooting it as close as possible to Ellis' chair. After he sits back down, he gently sets his hand on her thigh, his fingers flexing against her warm skin when he feels her body heat. She stops moving her leg up and down and widens her legs so his fingers just barely brush her inner thigh. Marty asks softly, "You alright? Ruth didn't tell me much about your ex, but based on your black eye, I assume he was an asshole." Ellis crushes the end of the spent joint into the ashtray on the wicker table next to her and exhales for a long second. "He expected me to stay home all day and be content with him doing cocaine off of his assistant's fake tits. And this is after I moved to that rich goddamn suburb for him. I said fuck that, he did this to my face, I called Ruth." 

Ellis sighs deeply after regaling Marty with the story of her black eye, slumping forward a bit. Marty pats her leg and clears his throat, pulling his hand away and back to his own lap. "I'm sorry, Ellis. He sounds like a prick." She nods and stands up, fanning her tanned face. "How is it still so hot? It's night time." Marty isn't feeling the heat, but his face reddens when Ellis lets her dark hair down from its ponytail, loosely braiding it over her right shoulder as Marty takes a deeper breath than he was prepared for. He watches her fingers and suddenly realizes how high he is. Ellis turns around, notices he is staring, and grins sweetly. She pulls her loose black t shirt over her head and Marty's eyes fall to her chest and stomach. Her breasts are bigger than any he's ever had the pleasure of touching, a thought that he dwells on for a second too long. He can see the solid peaks of her nipples inside the triangle fabric of her yellow suit top and his eyes widen slightly when she slips her jean shorts off. Ellis has a flat stomach, curvy hips and her ass fits perfectly in the black underwear she's wearing. Marty's face is stop sign red at this point, and he barely catches the hotel room towel Ellis throws at him. "I'm getting in. Wanna come?" Marty sets her towel aside and shakes his head, watching her ass as she descends the white plastic ladder into the pool.

While Ellis swims, Marty heads back to his room to grab his bottle of whiskey. There are two plastic cups on the bathroom sink, and he grabs those as well. As he turns off the bathroom light, he catches sight of his reflection in the mirror. His reflection looks more relaxed than he has in a long time. Being away from Missouri looks good on him. Or, maybe he's just at ease for the first time in awhile. On a whim he takes his shoes and socks off, grabbing a towel and leaving his room barefoot. He can hear Ruth snoring through the walls. For just a second he thinks of how mad she would be to see him checking out her former babysitter. He smirks as his eyes focus on Ellis leaning on the edge of the hotel pool. She's gazing up at him and he quickens his pace down the stairs to her.

"What are we toasting to, Marty?" His eyes don't leave the plastic cup full of whiskey as he says, "Ladies choice." Ellis sets her wet hand atop of his and gently takes his cup from it, catching his eyes as she steals his drink. "To my new friend Marty Byrde. Thanks for the rescue." Marty takes her forgotten cup and drinks the contents down quickly, his eyes leaving hers only once. Ellis laughs and does the same, ducking underwater and tossing her empty cup at Marty once she surfaces again. He catches it and gets splashed, berating her sharply, "Damn it, Ellis! You got me fucking wet." Ellis pulls her wet hair over her shoulder and swims closer to the edge where Marty is sitting. "Come in here, Marty. I'll get you fuckin' wet." She grins and her lips look black in the low light, but Marty slides down from his chair anyway. He had to be closer to her.

Ellis is playing with something real, she feels. Or maybe it was a combination of the weed and the alcohol. Either way, her skin started tingling when she first imagined Marty in the pool with her, and it hasn't stopped. He's sitting on the edge now, his bare feet in the water and his shorts pulled up a bit so as to not get wet. "Are you going to miss Texas?" Ellis swims to the edge of the pool and grabs the whiskey bottle from the edge next to Marty. She feels his eyes on her while she takes a deep pull from the bottle before taking it into the deeper water with her. She says after a long minute of silence, "No. The only person I cared about here fucked me over. I miss Osage. I miss my grandma, god rest her soul. I'm so happy to have Ruth back, but I miss that whole town. The dive bar where I used to work, going and visiting Wyatt when he and Three were little, tourist season…" She trails off and takes another drink while Marty asks, "Why tourist season?" Ellis grins and Marty's eyes focus on her mouth again. "I got laid a lot. Everyone wants to fuck the local with the good pot. Estelle grew it behind our house. Pretty sure she paid off the cops. Anyway, I did particularly well with the college girls wanting to experiment and the stoners." Marty laughs shortly and says, "Alright, I'll be sure to point some your way." Ellis splashes him and says while laughing, "No thank you, Mr Byrde. I'm 32. I don't need to chase anyone. It's been awhile since anyone's been anywhere near my downstairs." She takes a long drink of whiskey and passes it to Marty who says quietly, "Yeah? Shame." Before Ellis really registers what he said, he finishes off the last bit of whiskey and sets the bottle aside. Ellis smiles slowly and swims a bit closer to him.

"You're really not going to come in here with me?" Marty shakes his head and grins at the exaggerated pout Ellis has on her pale face. She swims closer to him yet and he asks, "Did you expect me to just strip down and get in?" He watches Ellis grins before she says, "I didn't expect you to strip, no." Ellis squeezes some water out of her hair and shrugs, then comes to stand around a foot away from Marty in the pool. His legs are open and he glances down between his legs to see her panties under the water only an arm's reach away from his form. Marty can sense where this is going and he sighs before saying, "I shouldn't." Ellis sees the hesitation on his face and she sets her wet hand on his knee before asking, "But do you want to? You don't seem like the kinda guy who gets a chance to do whatever you want very often. It's fun. Feels good." Ellis takes her hand back from his knee and looks him in the eyes. "Come in here, with me." He doesn't even hesitate this time, pulling off his shirt and sliding into the pool. His head goes under and the world is quiet.

Marty surfaces only when he feels the need to breathe burning his lungs. Ellis is swimming nearby with a large smile on her pretty face. As he rubs the water from his eyes, Ellis swims closer to him and his own smile grows as she grasps his shoulders. He swims backwards out of her grasp and says, "It is pretty refreshing. Definitely sobering. You happy now?" Marty finds his eyes glued to her black eye for a second too long. She seems to notice and says softly, "Happier than I've been in awhile." Marty extends his hand out to her in the water, resting it on her pale shoulder. "I'm sorry that prick hurt you. Men are shitty, I know." Ellis softly sets her hand on his atop her shoulder and murmurs, "You're not."

Marty breathes in deeply and looks into Ellis' eyes as she wraps her arms around his neck and backs him into the pool wall. He winces as his back hits the concrete and Ellis kisses his cheek to soothe him, murmuring into his ear, "Sorry, Mr Byrde. I'll make it up to you if you'll let me." Before he can register what she said and what she meant with her dark eyes shining in the light, her legs wrap around his waist. She crosses her ankles behind his back as he moves closer to her, bumping into her thighs awkwardly once and closing his eyes for a second. "Ellis…" Ellis pushes her hips into his and kisses his other cheek. She says nothing, but squeezes her legs until his body is flush with hers. She's still quiet, but he can't seem to be. "Ellis. Come on, we're in a hotel pool in the middle of the night." She nods once and rests her forehead against his. Marty closes his eyes once he hears her say quietly, "You can touch me. If you want." He lets his hands come to hold onto her shapely behind, exhaling shallowly when he squeezes her ass for the first time. Of course he wants to touch her. After another firm squeeze, he lets his head fall to her shoulder and presses his lips against it once. Ellis is perfectly still as she feels his mouth on the crook of her neck. She barely hears him say into her shoulder, "I haven't touched anyone in so fucking long. You're so damn soft."

And suddenly, it's different. What started with some smiles and extended eye contact between Ellis and him has evolved into whatever this is. She's still wrapped around him, but she's just holding him now. Marty's head is buried in the side of her neck and Ellis is breathing in and out slowly, trying to get him to relax. Once he does, she can feel him almost slump against her. She holds him a little tighter and presses her lips to his head before asking, "You alright?" Marty nods against her shoulder and squeezes her a little tighter. He's about to answer her when he hears a screen door swing open with a creak. "Hey, pool closed at 9. Have to ask y'all to get out and take your fun somewheres else," a male voice calls from the direction of the hotel's main building. Ellis slips down and out of Marty's grip before he can stop her.

Nothing is said as they get out of the pool. The man running the front desk of the hotel is watching them from the other side of the closed screen door and Ellis flips him off as she dries her body off with her towel. She silently turns and locks eyes with Marty as she rubs the towel on her chest, her nipples obvious after the scratchy hotel towel brushes over them. He doesn't look away, but he pulls his shirt over his head and sighs once the eye contact is broken. Ellis wraps the towel around her waist and finally breaks the silence between them. "I guess it's bedtime." Marty nods and rubs his towel on his head, leaving his hair messy but drier. Gesturing for Ellis to go up the stairs first, he follows her lead silently. When she's close to halfway up the stairs, Marty places his hand on the small of her back. Ellis doesn't react in a way that he can see, but a small smile crosses her face. 

They walk side by side down the hall to their rooms, Marty's hand warm against the cool skin of Ellis' lower back. She stops and turns around to face him in front of her hotel room door. Ellis just smiles and asks quietly, "Do I get a good night kiss?" Marty doesn't hesitate, but presses his lips against her forehead instead of her mouth. He leaves his mouth pressed against her warm skin for a moment and she stays still. Ellis grins and, when he pulls away, says, "I'd invite you in, but…" Marty nods and murmurs, "I understand. Goodnight, Ellis." She slips into her room quietly. Marty can hear Ruth's snores from inside the room and he smiles to himself as he unlocks his room.

He lasts half an hour before giving himself permission to palm his hard cock and imagine Ellis. It's nothing pornographic, though. Just her in her too short shorts and bikini top. She smiles at him softly, and he realizes her black eye is healed. Marty sighs deeply to himself and he comes within two minutes.


	3. osage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have some more.

Marty is on one side of a Waffle House booth, Ellis and Ruth are on the other. They're still talking constantly, catching up for years of not being together. Marty's sipping his black coffee and texting Charlotte (talking with his wife is not something he wants to do ever again, much less while not having to physically be with her). Things at home seem normal, and he sets his iPhone aside and decides to study Ellis instead. Her dark red hair is in a bun on the top of her head and she looks tired but happy. Today she's wearing a yellow crop top with thin straps and buttons up the front and the same denim shorts as yesterday. She locks eyes with him and grins, happy to have caught him staring at her. Marty clears his throat and doesn't register Ruth getting up and going to the bathroom. When they're alone, Ellis leans forward and unbuttons a button on her top, exposing the inviting curve of her cleavage. "I've been regretting not following you into your room last night. Ruthie's snoring kept me up til two am." Marty takes a big drink of his lukewarm coffee and asks, "Do you have a pen?" Ellis rustles through her bag looking for a writing utensil, content to not ask questions. Marty goes through his pockets and pulls out a small notebook, opening it to a new page and taking the pen Ellis is holding. She says nothing as she is handed his phone number on a torn page of lined paper. She looks surprised, but takes it from him. Marty says by way of explanation, "I know how hard it is to get settled after something goes south. Let me know if you need help with your grandma's house or anything like that. " Ellis grins and her eyes get wide as she sees Ruth opening the bathroom door. She leans forward, catching Marty's gaze as she squeezes her breasts together with the sides of her arms. "Thank you, Marty. I'll be sure to let you know what I need from you." Ruth returns, sits down beside Ellis and immediately complains about the lack of menus. "I'm fuckin' hungry over here. Marty, that coffee smells like shit." Ellis slides the piece of paper into her pocket and scoots over in the booth so Ruth can be seated again. The small scrap of paper in her shorts pocket feels like it weighs a pound. While Ruth is bitching, Ellis catches Marty's eye and flushes a little pink when she notices his eyes are on her.

"Here's your biscuits and gravy with cheese and onions, buttered toast on the side." The Waffle House waitress sets a full plate in front of Ruth and then just a small bowl of fruit in front of Marty. "Your fruit." She turns to look at Ellis and asks, "You sure you don't want nothin', doll?" Ellis waves her hand and says politely, "I'm good, thanks." The older woman leaves after refilling Marty's coffee and Ellis waits a beat before asking, "Tell me about this casino, Ruth said it's called the Missouri Belle?" 

Two hours later, Ellis and Ruth are giggling in the backseat of Marty's SUV. Giggling. He shakes his head at the sight of them in the rear view mirror. Around the Texas border they had decided to smoke the remaining joint Ellis had stolen from her ex's private stash. Marty had allowed this only because it gave him ample time alone to think about anything but Ellis. The joint went quickly, and Ruth is now slumped against the window facing her old babysitter, eyes red and full of tears from laughter. Ellis is sitting with her arm out the open window, her skin already turning a pretty bronze. When she meets his gaze in the rear view mirror, she winks her red eyes at him and he finds himself smiling. Her freckles are endearing and suddenly, he's too warm. Turning up the air conditioning, he also flips on the radio. It's The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, just starting. The girls demand he turn it up and they sing along as Marty turns off onto an exit towards a gas station for a fill up and some more coffee.

"Get me a slushie!" Ruth calls out the window as Ellis and Marty exit it and walk towards the small gas station off the highway. He holds the door open for Ellis and she grins at him, heading for the restroom. "Gotta pee. Meet me by the counter?" She's feet away from him before he can nod, but he does anyway and shakes his head. There's a dismal looking coffee bar next to the ice cream cooler of the gas station, and he fills a styrofoam cup up with hazelnut blend. His phone vibrates in his pocket and he starts, spilling a bit of coffee on the counter. He curses quietly and places the lid on the cup as he checks his iPhone. It's a new number, one he doesn't have stored. The message itself is a picture, and he absentmindedly wipes up the coffee he had previously spilled as he recognizes Ellis in the picture. It's a mirror selfie of her, presumably in the gas station bathroom. Her face is stoned but happy, with her dark hair slightly messy atop her head. Her yellow crop top that her breasts fill out so nicely is unbuttoned enough that he can clearly see the curves of her breasts. She's leaning forward over the counter, her skin looking soft and bronze in the harsh florescent lights. He stares at her skin and texts her back, "this is your contact picture in my phone now" before heading to the snack aisle and grabbing a candy bar. His phone vibrates in his hand as he hears a door open over the Deep Purple song playing on the intercom of the gas station. He reads the text and is still smiling when Ellis joins him at the counter to pay a minute later, Ruth's slushie in hand. The text read, "you know, you're a good man mr byrde. thanks for taking me home."

Ellis is glued to the window as soon as Marty drives into town. He can't help but smile watching her take it all in. He heads to Ruth's trailer and drops the girls there, staying in the car while they wave goodbye at him. He goes well below the speed limit on his way back to the motel.

Ellis starts crying the minute her grandmother's house comes into view and she doesn't stop until Ruth leaves and she's alone. The house is still full of Estelle's things and furniture. Wyatt had been checking on the property in the few months since Estelle's passing and he had made sure the power and water were back on for her arrival. Ellis unpacks her luggage and clothes and loses herself in making her former home her home again. By 9 pm, she's showered and in her new king sized bed. She's almost asleep when her phone notifies her of a new text. 

Marty: all settled in? need anything? welcome back

Ellis: want to come over for a bit? its so weird being in this house alone. 

Ellis: and I found estelle's good weed hidden, haha

Marty: sure. i can bring some groceries for you too since i'm sure the house is empty. send me the address

Ellis: can't wait ;)

Marty opens the door to Ellis' house and winces at the loud creak. The house is beautiful if dated. It's an A frame cabin with one floor and huge windows facing out across the water. The lights are on inside and he can hear a movie on a tv somewhere. "Ellis? I'm coming in." He heads inside the unlocked screen door and deposits the cold items in the fridge. After he puts the two grocery bags on the bench inside the door, he takes in the house. It looks like your typical grandparent home with lots of wooden accents and old photos. It's a large, open space and Marty looks around for Ellis. She isn't in view, but he sees a tv playing a horror movie he doesn't recognize. The remote is on the coffee table and he turns it down before calling out to Ellis once more. "I'm out on the back porch, Marty. Come here."

After half an hour of sitting with Ellis on her porch and smoking a joint together, Marty feels pretty high. His shirt is unbuttoned all the way, exposing his wrinkled white tee shirt. Ellis seems to feel more sober than he does, judging by her amused face when Marty says aloud, "Fuck, I'm high." Ellis smiles and pats his leg before asking, "You doin' alright, Marty?" Marty feels himself grinning before he says, "I am. Your grandma grew pot, huh?" Ellis takes a long hit from the tiny end of the joint and exhales the strong smelling smoke before signing heavily. It curls around in the dim glow of her back porch light. "She did, before she got sick. I tended to it for a spell, but gave it up before I left. It's probably all wiped out now. I found a cigar box under her bed. Well, my bed." Marty nods and takes a big gulp of his beer, leaning back against the metal bench and watching Ellis smoke. 

It might just be because he's stoned out of his mind, but Marty stares at Ellis for far too long as she exhales the smoke from her lungs into the night and tosses the spent joint roach in her empty beer bottle. Marty gently nudges her shoulder with his own and asks quietly, "Are you happy to be home?" "This place feels more like home than any other, even though I only moved here when I was fourteen." At Marty's confused expression, Ellis says, "Estelle only took me in after my real mom left when I was a teenager. She was an addict, and a fucking monster. No idea about my dad. Once Estelle found out about me living alone in my mom's dirty, horrible apartment, she drove straight to Kansas City, picked me up outta that hellhole, and brought me here. She was the best mom I could have had." She sniffles and leans against Marty. He immediately puts an arm around her shoulders and shushes her. Ellis rests her head on his shoulder and sniffles once more before saying, "Thanks, Marty. For the food and the trip here...and for this." Marty's stoned brain takes over for a second and he murmurs into her soft hair, "I like it when you say my name." Ellis raises her head and smiles widely. "Is that so?" Marty doesn't shy away from her when she flirts, instead turning to look into her bright eyes. As he pulls her closer, her phone rings from her pocket.

Marty sneaks away from Ellis while she's on the phone with Ruth. He's out the front door before she notices he's gone, all the while Ruth is talking away in Ellis' ear about Wyatt. As he unlocks his car, Marty realizes that he's way too stoned to drive. "Goddammit." He sits there for a few minutes breathing deeply and trying to sober up so he can go to bed and stop fantasizing about Ellis and what she looks like naked. His phone vibrates after a few minutes of nothing but the sound of the cicadas outside his car window.

Ellis: you left me :( i was going to bribe you to stay with scotch and maybe touching my ass

Ellis waits for two minutes after sending Marty that text, staring outside the kitchen window at his car. She can't make out his form inside and she hears nothing but the quiet Missouri night. "Goddammit, Ruthie. Way to ruin a night…" He's not coming back in. Leaving her phone on the worn table, she heads to her bathroom and brushes her hair and washes her face. Her black eye is a light brown now, and it makes her look much older than her 32 years. The mirror in the bathroom is dirty and she spots a smear of the dark pink lipstick Estelle used to wear. She doesn't wipe it off, instead smiling softly and going into her new changing into some sleep shorts and an old flannel button up that Estelle used to wear. As she flips her bedroom light off, she hears her phone go off in the kitchen.

Marty: i shouldn't drive anyway. scotch sounds nice. everything ok with ruth?

Ellis: she's just annoyed with wyatt like usual. come inside. have a drink before we both pass out.


End file.
